A young woman reading on a couch – Best Books for Teens

Best Books for Teens: The Ultimate Reading List for Ages 13–18

Updated September 2026

The Short Answer: 18 Books for Ages 13–18

The best books for teens are the ones they read without being told to and are still thinking about a week later. Our eighteen picks for ages 13–18 include The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hunger Games, The Book Thief, And Then There Were None, The Outsiders and Unbroken, each with an honest content note.

The list mixes classic adventure, modern young adult fiction, history and true stories, arranged by genre so you can match books to your particular teenager. Most work equally well for a thirteen-year-old and a seventeen-year-old; where they don't, we say so.

Title Author Year Suggested age
The Fellowship of the Ring J. R. R. Tolkien 1954 13+
Ender's Game Orson Scott Card 1985 13+
The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins 2008 13+
Sunrise on the Reaping Suzanne Collins 2025 14+
Scythe Neal Shusterman 2016 14+
The Scorpio Races Maggie Stiefvater 2011 13+
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas 1844–46 14+
Watership Down Richard Adams 1972 12+
The Book Thief Markus Zusak 2005 14+
Code Name Verity Elizabeth Wein 2012 14+
Salt to the Sea Ruta Sepetys 2016 14+
And Then There Were None Agatha Christie 1939 13+
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Holly Jackson 2019 15+
The Outsiders S. E. Hinton 1967 13+
The Chosen Chaim Potok 1967 13+
Long Way Down Jason Reynolds 2017 14+
The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) Daniel James Brown 2015 12+
Unbroken (Young Adult Adaptation) Laura Hillenbrand 2014 13+

Looking for assigned-reading classics instead? Our high school homeschool list covers the heavier canon from Homer to Orwell. This one is about building readers.

In this guide:

Fantasy and Science Fiction for Teens

The Fellowship of the Ring (J. R. R. Tolkien, 1954). The first volume of The Lord of the Rings. Teens who stalled on it at eleven often fly through it at fourteen. Nothing to worry a parent, and a great deal about courage, mercy and friendship. See our Tolkien reading order.

Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card, 1985). A brilliant six-year-old is taken to a battle school in orbit to be trained as humanity's commander. Superb for discussions about ends and means. Content note: Ender kills two boys in self-defense (without learning it until later), and the children's dialogue includes crude language and insults.

The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, 2008). You know the premise. What adults sometimes miss is how seriously it takes the cost of violence and spectacle. Content note: children kill children, described without gore but not softened. The newest book in the series, Sunrise on the Reaping (March 2025), follows a young Haymitch through the Fiftieth Games and is noticeably darker; the film adaptation is scheduled for November 20, 2026. The full sequence is in our Hunger Games reading order.

Scythe (Neal Shusterman, 2016). In a future where no one dies naturally, licensed "scythes" keep the population in check. Two teenage apprentices are pulled into the order. The questions it raises about mortality and power make it a great book to discuss as a family. Content note: killings are central to the plot, some described in detail. First of a trilogy.

The Scorpio Races (Maggie Stiefvater, 2011). A standalone about deadly water horses raced every November on a windswept island. Slow-burning and beautifully written. Content note: horse-racing violence and a very mild romance.

Classic Adventure Novels

The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas, serialized 1844–46). Betrayal, prison, escape, treasure and revenge, and an ending that asks whether vengeance was ever his to take. The unabridged novel runs well over a thousand pages; a good modern translation is worth the effort for strong readers. Content note: poisonings, an adultery subplot and a suicide.

Watership Down (Richard Adams, 1972). A band of rabbits flees a doomed warren. It is an epic war novel that happens to have rabbits in it. Content note: violent fights and deaths.

World War II Through Fiction

The Book Thief (Markus Zusak, 2005). A girl in Nazi Germany steals books and shelters a Jewish man in her foster family's basement, narrated by Death. Content note: frequent German swearing, some English profanity, and devastating deaths near the end.

Code Name Verity (Elizabeth Wein, 2012; Printz Honor and Edgar Award, 2013). A captured British agent writes her confession for the Gestapo, and nothing is quite what it seems. The best-plotted book on this list. Content note: torture is described, and the ending involves a mercy killing.

Salt to the Sea (Ruta Sepetys, 2016; Carnegie Medal 2017). Four narrators, three of them refugees, converge on the Wilhelm Gustloff, whose sinking in 1945 was the deadliest in maritime history. Short chapters make it fast reading. Content note: one character is pregnant as the result of rape (not depicted), and many characters die.

Teens who want the history behind these three novels will find nonfiction and more fiction in our World War II books for students.

Mysteries, Old and New

And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie, 1939). Ten strangers on an island, one by one. Still the perfect first adult mystery. Used-book note: this novel has been published under earlier, offensive titles, so check the cover before handing an old copy to a teenager. Our Where to Start with Agatha Christie post suggests what to read next.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson, 2019). A high school senior reopens a closed murder case for a school project. Addictive, with a BBC television version that reached Netflix in 2024. Content note: drug dealing, a date-rape drug plot point and strong language. For older teens.

Coming-of-Age Novels

The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton, 1967). Written when Hinton was a teenager herself, about loyalty between rival gangs of greasers and Socs. Content note: fights, a stabbing, deaths, smoking and some mild language.

The Chosen (Chaim Potok, 1967). Two Jewish boys in 1940s Brooklyn, one Hasidic and one modern Orthodox, become friends after a baseball game goes wrong. A rare novel that takes faith, fathers and study completely seriously. Clean, and wonderful for Christian families to discuss.

Long Way Down (Jason Reynolds, 2017; Newbery, Printz and Coretta Scott King Honors, 2018). A novel in verse set during a sixty-second elevator ride, as fifteen-year-old Will decides whether to avenge his brother's shooting. Short enough for reluctant readers. Content note: gun violence and profanity.

True Stories in Young Reader Editions

The Boys in the Boat, Young Readers Adaptation (Daniel James Brown, 2015). The University of Washington rowing crew that won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Clean, inspiring and a hit with athletes.

Unbroken, Young Adult Adaptation (Laura Hillenbrand, 2014). Olympic runner Louis Zamperini survives a plane crash, weeks adrift and Japanese prison camps, and later finds faith. Content note: the brutality of the camps, toned down from the adult edition.

Helping Teens Keep Reading

  • Let them choose half. Teens who have some say in what they read keep reading into adulthood. Offer three books from this list and let them pick one.
  • Preview, or read alongside. Content notes help, but nothing replaces a parent who has read the book. A parent-and-teen book club of two works better than you'd expect.
  • Watch the reading age, not just the content. Monte Cristo is clean enough for thirteen but long enough to discourage most thirteen-year-olds.
  • Use the questions the books raise. Ender's Game: can a good person do terrible things? The Chosen: what do fathers owe sons? Scythe: would life without death be good?
  • Twenty to thirty minutes a day is enough for most teens to finish a book every two or three weeks.

For kids who resist books altogether, see our best books for reluctant teen readers.

Find Used Copies for Your Teen

Teen books get passed around, and used copies are the easiest way to let a reader try a book without committing to it. Browse our young adult and science fiction shelves, or search authors like Ruta Sepetys directly. Free shipping on orders over $15.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good book for a 13-year-old who loves fantasy?

The Fellowship of the Ring is the classic choice, and The Scorpio Races is a strong standalone. Readers who like science fiction as well should try Ender's Game.

What is the newest Hunger Games book?

Sunrise on the Reaping, published in March 2025, about Haymitch's Games. The film adaptation is scheduled for November 20, 2026.

Is The Book Thief appropriate for a 13-year-old?

Many 13-year-olds read it, but it contains frequent swearing (mostly in German) and heavy losses. We suggest 14 and up, or reading it together.

Are there clean young adult books?

Yes. The Chosen, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Boys in the Boat and The Scorpio Races are all very clean. Our content notes flag anything a parent might want to know.

What should teens read besides school assignments?

A mix of genres: one fantasy or science fiction novel, one mystery, one historical novel and one true story is a good rotation. Let your teen choose within it.

Is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder appropriate for teens?

It is written for teens but includes drug dealing, a date-rape drug plot point and strong language. We suggest ages 15 and up.

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